Circulating pump devices



Oct. 30, 1956 A. RICHARD ETAL 2,768,583

CIRCULATING PUMP DEVICES Filed June 29, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l 8 \\1\\\\\ j I l 7 14 v 5 Oct. '30, 1356 A. RICHARD ETAL 2,758,583

CIRCULATING PUMP DEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 29, 1953 United States Patent CIRCULATING PUMP DEVICES Albert Richard and Charles Metral, Geneva, Switzerland, assignors to Socit Emerjy, Lyons, France, a French company Application June 29, 1958, Serial No. 364,738 Claims priority, application Switzerland July 11, 1952 11 Claims. (Cl. 103-87) The present invention concerns a circulating pump device, in particular for central heating installations, of the type comprising an electric motor the rotor of which is immersed in the liquid and is separated from the stator by a water-tight partition.

This device is characterized by the fact that the rotor surrounds the stator and is provided with impelling means for the liquid.

In a preferred embodiment the device comprises at least one ring cooperating with an annular surface in order to sustain and center the rotor.

The drawing illustrates, by way of example, two embodiments of the device which constitutes the object of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a view of a cross section of this device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a partial view of a section through 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 1 of the second embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a cross section through 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to Figs. 1 and 3 of an embodiment showing end vanes on the rotor.

The same references concern the same parts of the device in all the figuresof the drawing.

The circulating pump device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a casing-2 divided into two chambers having an opening between them. One chamber has an inlet therein and the other has an outlet therein. A fluid tight compartment 4 made of non-magnetic metal or of plastic extends into the opening between the chambers. The compartment 4 extends through an opening in the wall of the casing 2, the opening being partially filled with an annular plate 6. The compartment 4 is provided with a flange 5 which bears against annular plate 6. A cover 7 covers the end of the compartment 4 and secures the flange 5 to the plate 6 by means of screws 7'.

Mounted in the compartment 4 is a stator 3. Journaled around the compartment 4 is a rotor 1. It is mounted to rotate in the plane of the opening between the two chambers.

The rotor is constituted by a pile of annular laminations clamped between two conducting rings 8 and 9, made for instance of copper, by means of bolts 10, which form the bars of the squirrel cage. The ring 9 forms part of a cap 11 spaced from the compartment 4 and bearing in its center a tubular shaft 12 mounted in bearings 13 and 14 provided inside a sleeve 15 which is fixed to the compartment 4 so as to form a watertight joint. The bearings have fluted faces, as shown in Fig. 2, in order to allow the water circulating inside the sleeve 15 to flow past them.

The pump proper comprises vanes 16 formed in a flange 17 secured to the periphery of the rotor 1 by means of the bolts 10. It would also be possible to provide impelling members fixed endways on the rotor 1 as seen in Fig. 5.

When the device is functioning, the circulation of the hot water is accelerated by the rotor vanes and the water passes between this rotor and the compartment 4 in the direction indicated by the arrow, and penetrates into the sleeve 15 and then into the tubular shaft 12, from which it flows away on the outside of the cap 11. The water thus continually flows through the bearings 13 and 14 and acts as a lubricant.

In the embodiment represented in Figs. 3 and 4, the flange 5 of the water-tight compartment 4 is pressed against the bottom of a pan 19 the cylindrical wall 20 of which projects into one of the chambers and is spaced from and surrounds said compartment. This pan 19 forms part of the casing of the device.

The cover 7 closing the access to the stator 3 keeps the flange 5 against the bottom of the pan 19 by means of screws 7 so as to form a water-tight joint.

As in the previous embodiment, the rotor is constituted by a pile of annular laminations clamped between two conducting rings 8 and 9, for instance made of copper, by means of bolts 10 constituting the bars of the squirrel cage. An annular plate 21, clamped to the ring 9 by means of the bolts 10 carries vanes 16 destined to accelerate the circulation of the water through the casing 2. One could also provide impelling members fixed endways on the rotor in a manner similar to that shown in Fig. 5.

In this embodiment the rotor 1 does not comprise a shaft, but is sustained and centred by two rings 22 and 23 arranged inside the cylindrical wall 20 of the pan 19 which surrounds the water-tight compartment 4, the rings cooperating with annular faces on the periphery of the rotor 1.

These rings could also be mounted on the water-tight partition 4 so as to cooperate with corresponding annular faces provided inside the annular rotor. In addition, the device, instead of being provided with two rings, could be provided with only one ring cooperating with an annular face to sustain and centre the rotor.

In the embodiments shown in the figures, the inlet and outlet have their axes perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical casing 2, and the rotor 1 is journaled for' rotation about the axis of the cylindrical casing. The inlet and outlet are aligned, and thus the axis of rotation of the rotor is perpendicular to a line between the centers of the inlet and outlet. This arrangement of the parts is, however, merely the preferred embodiment of the invention, and other arrangements are possible within the scope of the invention.

When the device is functioning, the circulation of the water is accelerated by the rotor vanes and, thanks to openings provided in the wall 20, the water passes between this rotor and the compartment 4 in the direction indicated by the arrows. Although the rings 22 and 23 are shown solid, one could also provide ball bearing rings for instance.

The advantage of the described device resides in the fact that owing to the absence of a shaft centering and sustaining the rotor, the construction is considerably simplified. This arrangement enables the problem of the water-tight separation of the stator from the duct to be solved in the most satisfactory fashion.

In the two embodiments described, the electric motor of the device being of the known type based on the squirrel cage principle, it has only been shown schematically without the electric connections to the winding 18 of the stator 3, which are accessible from the outside.

Instead of being constituted by a pile of laminations, the rotor could be cast in one piece, for instance in copper, although in that case the efliciency would be less.

The described device has the advantage of being very easy to construct, and therefore very cheap.

What-We claimis:

1. .An relectric circulating pump comprising a casing having an inlet and an outlet, a fluid-tight compartment within said casing, a stator mounted Within said compartment, a rotor journaled' around said-compartment and said stator tor rotation about an -axis perpendicularto a line- -between the centerof the inlet and thecenter of theioutlet, and impeller means on said rotor.

2. -An electric circulating pump-as 'claimedin claim 1 inwhich said impellermeanscomprise a plurality of vanes on the periphery of said rotor extending perpendicular toithe axis of said rotor.

'3. An electric circulating pump as claimed-in claim 1 innwhich said impeller means comprise -a;plurality of vanes on the periphery of said rotor extending parallel tothe axis ot said -rotor.

4. An electric circulatingpumpas'claimed inclaim 1 inzwhich said casing has an aperture giving access to saidzcompartment, and acover'plateremovably fixed over said aperture.

5.. An electric circulating pump comprising a cylindrical casing having an inlet and an outlet -withaxes extendingperpendicularto the axis of said cylindrical casing, a fluid tight compartment Within said casing on a wall thereof which formsan end for said cylindrical casing, :a statormounted within said compartment, a rotor journaled around said;compartment and=said stator for rotation! about the axis of said cylindrical casing, impeller means upon said-"rotor, said casing having an aperture therein giving access to said compartment, and -a cover plate =removably fixed over said aperture.

6. An :electric circulating pump -comprising a casing having anlinlet and an outlet, aifluid tight compartment within "said casing, a statormourited within said compartment,:a rotor comprisingacap and apile of annular laminations attached to said cap surrounding said compartment'and spaced therefrom, a hollow annular sleeve inJsaidr'cOmpartment, ahollow-shaft attached to said cap andjournaled in said'hollow sleeve, and-impeller means on "said .rotor, whereby-fluid is forced between said annular laminations and said compartment "between said cap and saidcompartmentand throughsaid hollow'sleeve and tube -when said rotor is rotated.

'-7. An electric circulating pump as elaimed in claim 6 in which said impeller means comprise vanes on the periphery of said rotor extending perpendicular to the axis of said rotor.

8. An electric circulating pump as claimed in claim 6 in which said impeller means comprise vanes on the periphery of said rotor extending parallel to the axis of said rotor.

9. An electric circulating pump comprising a cylindrical casing having'an inlet "an dan'outlet'with axes extendingperpendicular to the'axis of-said cylindrical cas ing, a fluid-tight-compartment Within said casing on. a Wall thereof forming an end to said cyIindricaLeasing, a stator mounted within said compartment, a rotor comprising a cap and a a pile of annular *la'minatidns attached to said cap surrounding said compartment and spaced therefrom, ahollow annular sleeve in said compartment, a hollow shaft attached'to said c'a'p and journaled in said hollow sleeve, impeller means on said rotor, said casing having an aperture therein giving access to said compartment, and a cover plate 'removablyfixe'd over said aperture.

10. An electric'circulating pump comprisinga"casing having an inlet and-anou'tlet, a fluid-tight'compartr'nent Within said casing, a stator mounted Withinsaid compartment, a pan attachedtos'aid casin'gconcentric about andspaced from said compartment, ar'oto'r comprising a pile of annular laminations within s'aidpan arfdspaced therefrom and from said compartment, a plurality of rings-on-said-pan on vvhieh'saidrotor is journaled, and impeller means on said -'roto'r.

1 1. An electric =circu1ati' g-pmn comprising casing having two chambers therein with "an opening *Hetween said chambers, one chamber having an inlet therein and the otherhaving' an 'outlet therein, a fluid tight'compartment Within said casing, astatormountedvvithiKsaid compartment, a rotor journaled around said compartment and said stator for rotation in theplane of "said opening, an impeller means on said "r'otor projecting therefrom to adjacent the edges of said opening.

-R'efercn ces Cited in the'file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,171,460 Thrasher Aug. :29, 1-939 2,225,338 Geiss Dec. 17, 1940 2,256,659 Thrasher 'Sept.-'23, 1941 

